FM players tap the spirit of Independence Day

As India steps into her 65th Independence Day this August 15, FM radio players across the country have lined up a slew of special campaigns and shows to mark the occasion and engage their listeners. The activities range from airing patriotic songs to checking how vigilant the police force actually is to visiting the brave soldiers posted in the Kargil region.

My FM has a special celebration lined up for this Independence Day, called ‘Aazadi Sarhado Se’. It is being claimed to be a first of its kind initiative by an Indian radio brand.

“This is a ‘borderless radio’ initiative, which brings together artists from both countries celebrating their independence, is a joint effort by My FM in India and Radio1 FM 91 in Pakistan. Airing on August 14 and August 15, ‘Áazadi Sarhadon Se’ will feature special performances and dedicated music from artists from both countries,” said Harrish M Bhatia, CEO, My FM.

‘Aazadi Sarhado Se’ has been specially programmed to air simultaneously in 17 cities in India and major cities in Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Gawadar. It’s a two episode show of three hours each, aired on August 14 and 15. The content will feature RJs and personalities from both stations and countries, respectively, with their messages and performances. Coca Cola is the presenting sponsor of this initiative and will follow a 360 degree approach to promote the key initiatives, which include print, PR, online, along with radio.

This year, Radio City has decided to give voice to the Indian soldiers guarding the country’s borders. RJ Addi from Radio City will be travelling to Kargil to meet and thank the Indian soldiers posted there, who will get a chance to share their experiences with the listeners. The special show will be aired on August 15. Apart from airing patriotic songs throughout the day, messages from the soldiers will also be aired. Special slots on August 14 and 15 will see song dedications by the soldiers as well as listeners’ messages to the soldiers. RJ Addi will also be connecting with the soldiers’ families back home and listen to their side of the story.

“We have special promos for Independence Day that have been on air since August 9, 2012. Apart from this, we are also requesting our listeners to send in their messages that will be shared with the soldiers in Kargil. We have already got an overwhelming response, where kids as young as 3 year old have made cards and sent to the soldiers through us,” informed Kartik Kalla, National Programming Head, Radio City.

Radio Mirchi has come up with a special initiative to engage with its listeners, called ‘India ke Radio Postcards’. This Independence Day, tales of bravery of freedom fighters who fought for India’s freedom will come alive through Radio Mirchi’s ‘India ke Radio Postcards’ endeavour. Collaborating on this effort, various Mirchi stations from North, South, East and West have recorded audio postcards and will share tales of freedom struggle from different states.

The audio postcards record the iconic rebellions and movements of Dandi March in Gujarat, Sepoy Mutiny triggered by Mangal Pandey in Uttar Pradesh, ‘Simon Go Back’ movement in Punjab, Chittagong Movement in Bengal, Maulana Azad’s ‘Quit India’ Movement in Delhi, the Revolution led by Veer Savarkar in Maharashtra, Mailara Mahadevappa’s guerilla warfare in Karnataka and Veer Kunwar Singh’s rebellion in Bihar. The story of India’s unyielding struggle for freedom will be played out on the airwaves by Radio Mirchi.

Besides airing patriotic songs throughout the day, Big FM will pay attribute to India’s sportspersons who brought Olympic glory this year – Gagan Narang, Mary Kom, Vijay Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Joydeep Karmakar, Devendro and P Kashyap – in its association with the BBC as the official partner. Big FM will have the stalwarts talk about their dreams and aspirations, what they would like to change about the country, what they would like freedom from, their vision for sports in the country, and so on.

Fever FM will be lending a hand to the literacy movement in the country. Fever FM Mumbai, in association with NGO Akanksha, has come up with a weekly campaign called ‘Mission Shiksha Campaign’, wherein people in Maharashtra are being asked to donate notebooks. Actor Boman Irani and film director Farah Khan have been roped in for this drive against illiteracy and encourage people to contribute.

Meanwhile, Fever FM Delhi is in a vigilant mood. RJs Manu and Suhas, who host the early morning show, ‘Dilli ke Do Dabang’, will be visiting some sensitive areas in the National Capital that have been witness to bomb blasts. The duo will test how vigilant the police is by leaving a bag in one of these areas and see of they notice it. Moreover, listeners will get a chance to share their experiences about the previous blasts in Delhi and how they have fought back.

“Fever FM has lined up this initiative in a bid to make people more vigilant and aware of what’s going on in their surroundings,” said Harshad Jain, Business Head, Fever FM.

Radio Mantra is all set to paint the city with colors of patriotism. This Independence day, Radio Mantra, along its listeners, will build an army to protect the monuments and heritage sites of the city across its network.

The activity christened ‘Friendship Se Freedom Tak’, was kicked off on Friendship Day on August 5, wherein Radio Mantra encouraged the audience to extend a hand of friendship towards their city by joining the ‘Mantra Army’. The people of the city will choose the monuments, water bodies, places of interest that really need help from not only the authorities but also the habitants. The 10-day campaign will touch upon all the major hygiene issues that our cities face today.

Commenting on this initiative, Kanwar Sameer, National Programming Head, Radio Mantra, said, “65 years of Independence, but we are still struggling with the basics. High time that we realise our responsibility and take control by coming forward for a cause like this. Places of historical importance like Agra fort, river Ganga in Varanasi, Ranchi jheel, Kushinagar in Gorakhpur, Kaali Bein in Jalandhar and Karnal Fort are our pride and need our immediate attention.”